


Pehla Nasha

by annsgopal94



Category: Mahabharata - Vyasa, महाभारत | Mahabharat (TV 2013)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-18
Updated: 2014-07-18
Packaged: 2018-02-09 10:28:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,354
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1979427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/annsgopal94/pseuds/annsgopal94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s beautiful when you find someone that is in love with your mind. Someone that wants to undress you conscience and make love to your thoughts. Someone that wants to watch you slowly take down all the walls you've built up around your mind and let them inside.”<br/>-Unknown</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pehla Nasha

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Sairandhri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sairandhri/gifts).



Karna had just settled on the couch in Pitamaha’s study. Pulling out a large, daunting copy of Equity and Trusts, 10th ed from his bag, he propped a cushion to support his head on the arm of the couch. Raising the headphones around his neck to his ears, he sighed in peace.  
His paltan of brothers and solitary sister were still at university, college, school etcetera; a fact that guaranteed zero chaos in the house. The wave of quiet around him was welcome and quite necessary: the world of property law was calling out to him with open arms and he needed to run towards it in full Bollywood style. Otherwise he’d definitely fail the module.  
He was halfway into it when the door of the study was thrown open and in came Arjun. Flinging his bag across the study he promptly made himself comfortable on Karna’s feet, his long legs stretching to meet his unfortunate older brother’s face.  
Yudhishtir had also come in, in his usual, unobtrusive way to sit down against the couch.  
This was the usual routine and if someone was studying, the rest of the Kuru’s would try to be annoying without being noisy. A near impossible feat for them, but they managed.  
After an hour or so, Bheem, Duryodhan, Nakul and Sahadev had also added to the room’s general vela atmosphere. The summer air was lazy, with the koels koo-hoo koo-hooing, Amaltas petals gently floating to the ground and Arjun snoring.  
“Do you just know what happened?!” a very upset female voice asked. Draupadi had just burst in to the room in a riot of colour, with life pulsating in an aura around her, like rain showers in April.  
“I was in that seedy gym this morning, you know the one on the Chau Rasta, and I was running on the treadmill when this cat appears out of nowhere. I freaked out and almost fell! I could’ve died!”  
Yudhishtir who had been resting his eyes, opened one in mild interest.  
“Because of the shock or because of the fall?”  
Draupadi rolled her eyes. This Yudhishtir had no perspective!  
“It doesn’t matter! I want to die heroically, like Jhansi ki Rani, standing tall in the face of persecution! Not because of a cat!” she said with passion, plopping down next to Yudhishtir and resting her head on Karna’s arm.  
The brothers were of the opinion that Draupadi could give the martyred Rani a run for her money, but no one expressed this.  
The room settled back into comfortable complacency. But Draupadi had much to say.  
“Karns what time does your schedule free up tomorrow?” she asked, tilting her head backwards to see him better.  
“It doesn’t. I have just a week to finish an assignment on equity and I intend to finish it tomorrow,” he answered without looking up.  
There was silence for a few moments, but he was forced to look up when he felt someone staring at him.  
Sure enough, Draupadi was looking up at him, hazel eyes as large as saucers.  
“You’re not serious? Bloody hell, you’ve actually forgotten!”  
Karna sighed.  
Last week Ashwatthama and Balarama had suggested that they smoke joints as a one-time thing. Draupadi had heard about it and had promptly made herself a part of the plans (unbeknownst to her, a parallel plan had been made to ditch her).  
Karna had been quite nervous about the whole endeavour and Draupadi’s excitement was just winding him up tighter. Years of Kuru discipline and Pitamaha’s code of conduct had been drilled into him. As a result he could do nothing that would set a bad example for the rest of his brothers, who took it for granted that Jyesht’s mistakes were open experimental territory. Arjun and Duryodhan were probably the worst of the lot. Add to that, the pressure of getting caught: by Maa, Pitamaha, the Police, God.  
“Karns you promised-“  
“Drau-pad-i!” Karna hissed looking around at his brothers who were all very alert. Nakul had actually propped himself up on his elbows, as if he were readying himself to watch a film.  
Throwing Arjun off, he grabbed Draupadi by the arm and steered her out of the study and up into his room, the door to which he furiously locked.  
“What is wrong with you? No one was supposed to find out! Right, just for this, you’re out!” he said, seething.  
Draupadi looked at him, eyes wide in alarm. He hadn’t realized that he had pinned her to the door by either wrist. It was very TV drama-ish.  
Draupadi looked straight into Karna’s brown eyes. Smiling sunnily, she said, “Which soap have you been watching with Rajjo bhaiyya now?”  
Karna looked away, shifty eyed. Draupadi had known for many years that Karna liked to sneak in to the kitchen to study and grab a bite at the same time, usually when Rajjo, the cook, was cutting his subzis, woefully weeping while watching a barrage of Hindi television serials.  
“And I’m coming with you guys tomorrow and watching you smoke up- Don’t look so panicked! If you’re going to do it, you might as well call it as it is!”  
“But that’s the thing you duffer! I don’t want to do it! I’m-“  
“It’s really up to you,” she said disentangling herself from his grip and brown eyed gaze. “I’ll be there no matter what.”  
Narrowing his eyes, and folding his arms he took on a familiar don’t-mess stance.  
“You are not trying anything Draupadi. Even if you come.”  
“That means I’m coming?” she asked her face brightening instantly. “Pick your battles wisely” was a concept Yudhishtir had taught her a long time ago.  
“I said if,” was the moody reply.  
“Which usually means definitely!” she exclaimed enveloping a very confused, stiff Karna in a giant hug.  
“Uffo! Let it go na, weirdo!” she said, throwing his rigid arms around her waist.  
And that, was that.  
\-----------------------------

Downstairs, Arjun opened his left eye.  
“When did that happen?” he asked mildly, gesturing towards the door.  
“I always knew it,” Duryodhan said proudly.  
Bheem yawned and folded his arms under his head.  
Nakul pursed his lips. He always thought Draupadi had had the hots for him.  
Yudhishtir shook his head sadly at his little brother.  
“Wonder why they’re keeping it from us. Must be the illegality,” Sahadev commented lightly flipping the page of the book he had been reading.  
\---------------------------

“Meri beti ki aabroo ke saath khilvaad karne ka haq kisne diya tumhe?!” Zoya’s familiar tinny voice demanded on the telly. Karna had been watching that night’s soap opera with Rajjo for the past half hour, simultaneously doodling on his text books, and methodically demolishing a paneer bhurji sandwich.  
“Ab kya hoga Baba?” Rajjo asked in a whisper.  
“Ek Ma ki hai lagegi tumhe!”  
“Ab Zoya Kishan ko thappad maregi” Karna whispered back.  
“Arre yaar! Baba! Not about this vaste serial. About tomorrow! Hashish karoge aap? Kal?” Rajjo asked, his black eyes twinkling under bushy eyebrows. There was very little Rajjo didn’t know about Karna. He was significantly older than him, and played the older brother Karna sometimes needed in his life.  
Moaning, Karna buried his face in his textbook.  
“I don’t know!” he wailed miserably.  
To say that Karna was completely conflicted was an understatement. Being adventurous was one thing but being absolutely foolish was another: this “one-time” thing could evolve into a dangerous addiction. Karna wasn’t unaware of the effects cannabis caused; psychoactive effects, colloquially a “high”, increased heart rate, bloodshot eyes, increased appetite, anxiety, depersonalization etc. And these were just the short term effects. It was also illegal, and hey Bhagwan, I’m going to be a lawyer!  
But to try it just once, he thought to himself. To be rid of the world for a few hours, to give in readily to my instincts, to have increased sensitivity. To be like the rest, letting my guard down just once without overthinking things!  
It was a hard choice, but Karna felt he had already made it. The lure of adventure was too strong; the magic of intoxication seemed to beckon.  
“Just this once,” he told himself. “Just trying something for the first time, no one has to know. Other than the four who already know. No one has to know.”  
\-----------------------  
On the Big Day, Draupadi sat in school, her fingers idly drumming her desk. Psychology was agonizing, especially as they were covering the psychosomatic effects of recreational drugs: was there no justice in the world?! It was her day of adventure too! Ashwatthama had deliberately avoided her calls, she was too scared to ask Balarama, and Karna had snarled at her on the phone that morning. She had her doubts as to whether Karna and Balarama would let her smoke anything, including a common tobacco cigarette, but she could get off on the second hand wafts couldn’t she?  
“Why is my life so boring? Boring, boring, boring, boring!” she sang under her breath.  
Suddenly a light bulb lit up above her head.  
“Misssssssssssssss!” she cried heart wrenchingly, clutching her stomach.  
\-----------------------  
Getting out of school had been the easy part of her plan. It had earned her a quizzical look from Subhadra, who wasn’t unfamiliar with her khurafati ideas. But she could handle that later.  
Now she had to find the spot the boys had chosen. Checking Ashwatthama’s Facebook account, she frowned. It wasn’t likely that he would put up anything there.  
Where could they possibly be?!  
There was a set of ruins, just off NH7, that seldom warranted attention from anyone, and Balarama had often spoken about that spot.  
“Bhaiyyaji!” she yelled, running after a passing auto.  
“Bhaiyyaji! Oops, sorry Uncleji!” she said breathlessly, eyeing the orange bearded, old gent in the driver’s seat. “NH7 chaloge?”  
\-----------------------  
“Betaji, are you sewer? Matlab ki, I don’t think this ilaka ij phor you,” Orange Beard Uncle said.  
“Haan Haan! Don’t worry! Abhi aap jao!” she said handing him his fare. She was sure that the boys were there.  
Adrenaline rushed through her veins. This was it. She was going to break out of her acchi bacchi- 90% student-head girl image.  
Creeping past the larger ruin, she spotted Ashwatthama in the smaller one.  
Running covertly to the window, she rested her chin on where the window ledge must have once been.  
“Everyone’s going to see if you do it in full view,” she said.  
Three pairs of astonished eyes turned towards her.  
“Bloody Hell! What is she doing here?!” Balarama demanded as Ashwatthama helped Draupadi in.  
“We’re doing weed, not shooting a porno!” Ashwatthama hissed wiping his hands off on his jeans.  
“Draupadi WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! GO BACK TO RECESS!” Karna whisper-screamed.  
“Chill your flaming dil. I’m staying here! And there’s nothing the three of you can do about it,” she said majestically flicking her hair.  
The three boys looked at each other resignedly. There was nothing they could do about Draupadi, and they didn’t want to back out after coming so far.  
Handing the cigarettes out to Karna and Balarama (not Draupadi; no one wanted to take that risk), Ashwatthama grinned.  
“Okay. Let’s do this,” he said.  
Karna gulped inaudibly. Steeling his spine, he took the joint from Ashwatthama.  
You can do this.  
\------------------------  
“You couldn’t do it! You’re such a phissadi! And you wouldn’t let me do it either!” Draupadi yelled flinging her bag across Karna’s room.  
After sufficiently chickening out, he had planted Draupadi in an auto, seated himself next to her and fled home.  
“I am not a phissadi. I took a decision to respect my body,” he said solemnly.  
“Karna you’re twenty one! I thought you would do something wild for once! And you stay in control most of the time so I really don’t think you would have done it again. It’s like a rite of passage: you do stupid things when you’re young,” Draupadi said sitting down on his bed.  
“And deal with the ramifications later? Look, it’s not as if I didn’t want to,” he said candidly. “But there were so many things I had to keep in mind. What would Ma say? And Dad? And Yudhishtir, Bheem, Arjun and the rest? More importantly, how would I face myself later, after the high had worn off? I’m not saying everyone who does weed is wrong: I’m saying it’s wrong for me. And I’m not sure if that’s the kind of person I want to be: the person who acts even if it pricks his conscience. I don’t want to spend the rest of my life uncomfortable with myself.”  
Draupadi blinked. She had thought being older required independence; but this was independence. The freedom of choice is the paramount gift of adulthood, and consequences are its curse, she realized. Smiling, she kicked herself for being so naïve and foolish earlier. Karna had grown up. And he had done it well.  
Walking up to him, she smiled wider.  
“I’m proud of you,” she whispered.  
Raising his eyebrow, his smirked.  
“I thought you were disappointed,” he said, sneaking his arm around her waist.  
“No. I’m impressed,” Draupadi said, fully aware of the arm and just a tiny bit out of breath.  
Karna made another decision at that moment. One he wasn’t sure either of them were going to regret.  
Softly resting his forehead against hers, he noticed that his breathing too wasn’t very steady.  
Contemplating whether he wanted to start this, he looked at Draupadi’s bunny nose.  
Of course he did.  
Pressing his lips to hers, he silently asked whether she wanted to start it as well.  
Of course she did.  
Kissing each other wildly, they lost the sense they had been wanting to lose.  
Breathless, singed by the fire that they hardly knew had lit their hearts, they wouldn’t stop.  
Finally after a few moments, Draupadi lifted her head to look at him.  
“How’s that for intoxication hey?” she said.  
“You’re so cheesy!” he said grinning.  
“And it’s illegal too. I mean I’m seventeen, you’re twenty one…”  
Groaning he buried his face in the crook of her shoulder and neck.  
“Chun- chun ke dost banaye hain maine,” he whined.  
“Dost?!”  
And that started another argument.


End file.
